Follow Christopher Kostow’s journey from a young line cook in a seaside town to the storied Restaurant at Meadowood, the Napa Valley mainstay that has earned three Michelin stars and James Beard Awards for best chef and outstanding service under Kostow’s leadership. Through 100 artfully constructed recipes and stunning photography, Kostow details the transformative effect this small American valley has had on his life and work—introducing us to the artisans, products, growers, and wild ingredients that inspire his unparalleled food. As he shares stories of discovering wild plums and radishes growing along the creek behind his home or of firing pottery with local ceramists, Kostow presents a new Napa cuisine—one deeply rooted in a place that’s rich in beauty, history, and community.

Follow Christopher Kostow’s journey from a young line cook in a seaside town to the storied Restaurant at Meadowood, the Napa Valley mainstay that has earned three Michelin stars and James Beard Awards for best chef and outstanding service under Kostow’s leadership. Through 100 artfully constructed recipes and stunning photography, Kostow details the transformative effect this small American valley has had on his life and work—introducing us to the artisans, products, growers, and wild ingredients that inspire his unparalleled food. As he shares stories of discovering wild plums and radishes growing along the creek behind his home or of firing pottery with local ceramists, Kostow presents a new Napa cuisine—one deeply rooted in a place that’s rich in beauty, history, and community.

Unlock your creative potential with the world's most imaginative chefs. In this groundbreaking exploration of culinary genius, the authors of The Flavor Bible reveal the surprising strategies great chefs use to do what they do best. Beyond a cookbook, Kitchen Creativity is a paradigm-shifting guide to inventive cooking (without recipes!) that will inspire you to think, improvise, and cook like the world's best chefs. Great cooking is as much about intuition and imagination as it is about flavor and technique. Kitchen Creativity distills brilliant insights into these creative processes from more than 100 top restaurant kitchens, including the Bazaar, Blue Hill, Daniel, Dirt Candy, Eleven Madison Park and the NoMad, Gramercy Tavern, the Inn at Little Washington, Le Bernardin, Oleana, Rustic Canyon, Saison, Single Thread, and Topolobampo. Based on four years of extensive research and dozens of in-depth interviews, Kitchen Creativity illuminates the method (and occasional madness) of culinary invention. Part I reveals how to learn foundational skills, including how to appreciate, taste, and season classic dishes (Stage 1: Mastery), before reinventing the classics from a new perspective (Stage 2: Alchemy). Einstein's secret of genius-combinatory play-pushes chefs to develop unique creations and heighten their outer and inner senses (Stage 3: Creativity). Part II's A-to-Z entries are an invaluable culinary idea generator, with exercises to prompt new imaginings. You'll also discover: experts' criteria for creating new dishes, desserts, and drinks; comprehensive seasonality charts to spark inspiration all year long; how to season food like a pro, and how to create complex yet balanced layers of flavor; the amazing true stories of historic dishes, like how desperate maitre d' "Nacho" Anaya invented nachos; and proven tips to jump-start your creative process. The ultimate reference for culinary brainstorming, Kitchen Creativity will spur your creativity to new heights, both in the kitchen and beyond.